Portland Scooters

Portland Scooters offer a great way to tour Portland and surrounding
areas. If
you're looking for Portland scooters or scooter clubs, this is our
handy resource page for PDX Scooter fans. There's no doubt that summertime
in Portland offers some of the most amazing, scooter-perfect weather in
the country. Of course for winter, you can wear rain pants, all weather
gloves, and a Corazzo
Portland rain suit or jacket to protect against the cool rain. If you
want to and don't mind the elements, you can ride your scooter pretty much
year round.

Portland scooterists know that scooters are a fun, economical, and green way to travel, so
it is no surprise that when the sun comes out, scooters begin showing up all
over P-town. Scooters get fantastic gas mileage, and you can park them
Downtown for way cheaper than a car if you commute to work. Most of all,
they're fun! Scooter
parking is available at several SmartPark locations in Downtown Portland. Visit
SmartPark
for more
information on current parking rates and availability. See below for
more links and maps.

There are several Portland Scooter Dealers in town. After you
purchase your scooter, you may want to join other scooter
enthusiasts by joining a scooter club for organized rides and events,
including scooter rallies and meet-ups. We've listed Portland
Scooter Dealers, Portland Vespa Dealers, and Portland Scooter Clubs as well as
other helpful scooter resources to help get you on your way to the scooter
lifestyle. Also be sure to visit Scoot.net,
a Wiki style site dedicated to scootering.

Portland Scooter Dealers - Portland Scooter Store

You can find scooters in just about any price range, depending on the
engine size and brand you choose. You may find a used scooter
in Portland for about five hundred bucks and up, or you may choose to spend $4,000
or more on a brand new Portland Vespa (or vintage Vespa, for that
matter), if you plan to take your scootering
more seriously! Listed below are the Portland scooter dealers (and
surrounding areas) as well as Portland Vespa dealers.

Do I buy a new or vintage scooter?

Vintage Portland Scooters - There's no doubt that a vintage scooter offers a unique
style that new scooters just can't pull off. The pros are that a vintage
scooter will be stylish, cool, and unique--potentially even
one-of-a-kind. The cons are that you may sacrifice modern technology and
other comforts, and your scooter might need more work than you bargained
for. If you buy a vintage scooter, be careful, as there are some
poorly done restorations out there that might not only be a bad value,
but may also be dangerous to ride. Craigslist
is a good place to check
for used scooters in Portland. Popular vintage scooter brands include
Vespa, of course, as well as other Italian makes and models.

New Portland Scooters - Pros: modern design and technology
components, a warranty, and a known history and origin.
While a vintage scooter is awesome, there's nothing wrong with buying a brand
new scooter with a warranty, and getting the peace of mind that comes with
knowing your scooter's history and origin. You will have the chance to
break your scooter in properly and take care of it from day one. We have
a handful of Portland Vespa dealers and other models here in Portland, as well
as some scooter shops in surrounding cities (Hillsboro, Vancouver, etc.).
Some quality new scooter brands include Vespa, Piaggio, Sym, Genuine Buddy,
Kymco, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Fly, Aprilia, Italjet and Lambretta. There
are numerous scooter dealers in and around Portland, see the list and map
below.

There is sometimes not much of a price different between vintage scooters
and new ones. Vespa scooters hold their value particularly well, and
vintage restoration scooters may cost nearly as much as brand new ones.
You will pretty much get way you pay for in a new scooter, but many recommend
staying away from the super cheap scooters sold on the Internet ($500-800
range).
If you don't mind risking the chance of poor quality, it might be worth the
cost discount for you, but you may be better off getting your scooter from
a local Portland scooter dealer, with good local service and a warranty.
Plus, super cheap scooters don't really hold their value for resale, either.
As you search the listings for used scooters, you will quickly realize that
Vespas hold their value amazingly well, but many other brands do not.

Above, Noah Pfarr and Ethan Holman next to
their mural at P Town
Scooters. (Photo copyright PTownScooters.com)

Are we missing your Portland scooter shop? Just contact us and we
will add it to the page.

Portland Scooter Service and Repair

Scooters, unlike cars, do need a closer eye kept towards maintenance if you want
to ensure quick, easy starts and smooth rides. Service your scooter
routinely and keep it in good shape. Many recommend a trickle charger to
keep the battery charged over winter. Or better yet, just ride your
scooter often to keep it happy. Most scooter dealers will also offer
Portland Scooter Repair, but there are also some independent scooter repair
shops in town.

You may be wondering where on earth you place a parking sticker when you
park your scooter Downtown:

Here is official word from City of Portland's website: "You are being
asked to place the receipt on the headlight of your
motorcycle/scooter while you are parked. You should note that the receipt
has two parts to it. The larger section is for you to attach to the vehicle
and the smaller section is for your records. It is very important that
you detach the smaller one and keep it for your records." Why?
Because someone might walk by and steal your sticker right off your bike.

Getting your Scooter License in Portland

A 50cc scooter or moped may be ridden in
Portland without a motorcycle endorsement, but any scooter over 50cc will
require you to get your motorcycle license to ride. If you are brand new to
riding a bike, you might want to take a basic rider's training
course (BRT), offered at Team
Oregon. If you pass the Team Oregon class,
you will be granted a Motorcycle endorsement without needing to take
additional exams at the DMV.

If you decide to forego a Team Oregon BRT class and go straight to
the DMV to get your license, you will be required to pass both a written
motorcycle exam (taken on the computer at the DMV), as well as a driving
skills test, which must be scheduled ahead of time with an appointment.
The written test is not hard, but you should definitely study first so you
don't get stumped with trick questions! I took the Team Oregon BRT
driving class, and it was harder to pass than I expected: nearly 50% of the
people in my class failed on their first try. That said, it is a really
good class for new riders to learn basic skills and to begin getting
comfortable on a bike. You will learn a lot about how to ride safely.

The State of Oregon requires a valid motorcycle endorsement on a
drivers license for operating any motorcycle or scooter with an engine
displacement of 50cc or greater.

A motorcycle endorsement can be obtained by passing a written and riding
exam conducted by the Oregon DMV (or by presenting a valid drivers
license from another state with a motorcycle endorsement).

Or would-be riders can complete Team
Oregons Basic Rider Training course (including passing the exam
requirements of that course) and receive a course completion certificate.
The rider can then present the certificate to DMV (in lieu of taking DMVs
exam) to obtain a motorcycle endorsement on their license.

Maps - View Neighborhoods and Boundaries

NOTE:You may need the "Adobe Acrobat Reader" software installed on your computer to read some map files. The Adobe Reader is available free from
Adobe. If you cannot view the maps, download and install Adobe Acrobat reader, then try again.